This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from the prior Japanese Patent Applications No. 2001-258400, filed Aug. 28, 2001; and No. 2002-068140, filed Mar. 13, 2002, the entire contents of both of which are incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an antenna apparatus which is installed, e.g., outdoors and is used for performing wireless transmission of voice or data to a base station connected to a basic network.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent wireless system, data transmission service referred to as, e.g., WLL (Wireless Local Loop) or FWA (Fixed Wireless Access) is proposed. In such services, an antenna apparatus is installed outdoors, and wireless communication or broadcasting via the antenna apparatus to a base station connected to a basic network is performed.
In such services, a horizontally (H) polarization or a vertically (V) polarization is used depending on types of data to be transmitted, purposes of its use, or environment. An antenna, which is selected depending on whether radio wave used for the communication or broadcasting, is a horizontally polarized wave or a vertically polarized wave, is provided as the antenna apparatus used for the service.
However, in the above-described antenna apparatus, two different types of polarizations must be performed in order to a desired communication network or a broadcasting network. Then, the antenna apparatus which handles the polarized waves used for the desired communication or broadcasting network is selected and installed at a desired location to construct the communication or broadcasting network. Consequently, there arise the problems that the ordering of the antenna apparatus, manufacturing thereof and inventory management thereof are complicated and troublesome.
An object of the present invention is to provide an antenna apparatus which has simple configuration and enables wireless communication or broadcasting using two types of linearly polarized waves in order to simplify handling properties including its order, manufacturing process thereof and inventory management thereof.
The antenna apparatus of the present invention comprises an antenna main body for linearly polarized which is accommodated in a case in a direction of vertically polarized wave or in a direction of horizontally polarized wave, both of directions being perpendicular to each other; and a heat sink which is disposed at a rear surface of the case and thermally coupled to the antenna main body to thermally control the antenna main body.
In accordance with this configuration, the antenna main body is accommodated in a case in a direction of vertically polarized wave or in a direction of horizontally polarized wave. As a result, the present invention can be configured as to as correspond to both of wireless communication or broadcasting using the vertically and wireless communication or broadcasting using the horizontally polarized wave.
It is possible to simply and easily set such that the wireless communication or broadcasting using the vertically polarized wave or the horizontally polarized wave can be performed merely by an operation for changing the direction in which the antenna main body is accommodated in the case. Therefore, simplification of handling properties including order for the antenna apparatus, a manufacturing process thereof and inventory management thereof can be realized and diversification of communication or broadcasting can be accomplished.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out hereinafter.